The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) declined to share information on its ammunition log, issue records, and details related to the Rapid Action Force (RAF)’s use of pellet guns and the deployment of the anti-riot force during the protests against examination irregularities on July 20, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Saket Gokhale said on Monday.
The Delhi Police and the CRPF have not formally commented on the use of pellet guns even though some records surfaced showing they were used. The panel will look into issues such as pellet gun use following allegations of excessive and disproportionate force when the student protesters marched to Parliament from the Jantar Mantar protest site. “CRPF claims use of pellet guns on protestors in Delhi is not a human rights violation. I’d filed an RTI with Rapid Action Force (which is a part of CRPF) asking for information related to the use of pellet guns on unarmed protestors on 20th July during the Jantar Mantar protests. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took the victim to a police station and refused to leave until a first information report (FIR) was filed.
The Supreme Court constituted a five-member committee for an independent probe into allegations of violence during the July 20 student protests. He said the victim had around 200 pellet wounds on his body, including three that struck his eye. Because the issue relates to a human rights violation, gokhale said the CRPF must provide the information. Delhi Police filed a case regarding the student, who might lose vision in one eye due to the pellets.
He said Central Armed Police Forces are bound to share information under the RTI. Under law, CRPF is exempt from RTI Act EXCEPT in cases related to corruption or human rights violations,” he said on X. Gokhale said he would approach the Supreme Court. He added that when he appealed, the appellate authority again denied the info, citing “the same excuse.”
